A seven-day training programme titled 'Regional learning by doing VCA (vulnerable capacity assessment) exercise' started at a city hotel yesterday, says a press release. Bangladesh Red Crescent Society together with International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent organised the training. Bangladesh Red Crescent Society Chairman Prof Dr Mohammed Abdur Rabb inaugurated the training programme. Through this training we could assist better the most vulnerable people during natural disaster, Abdur Rabb said in his speech. Members of the sister national societies from Canada, Mexico, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal are attending the training. Bangladesh Red Crescent Society secretary general and Head of Delegation of the Federation Selvaratnam Sinnaduarai were also present in the inaugural ceremony.

Japan and Bangladesh signed an agreement in Tokyo yesterday concerning Japanese loan assistance of US$ 65 million for 'emergency disaster damage rehabilitation' project in the country. Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, who is now visiting Japan, and Masahiko Koumura, minister for foreign affairs of Japan, signed the agreement after their bilateral meeting, said a release from the Japan embassy. Japanese Ambassador Masayuki Inoue pledged the loan to Finance Adviser Dr Mirza Azizul Islam last month. The rehabilitation project under the loan will be started following the signed agreement. Asian Development Bank (ADB) is co-financing the loan. The objective of the project is to support 'quick restoration of economic and social activity' in the areas damaged by the floods and cyclone, through providing quick-disbursement type of import financing for essential agricultural commodities. Rehabilitating and reconstructing damaged public infrastructure, thereby contributing to sustainable economic growth, are also among the objectives. Japan has been assisting disaster mitigation and damage recovery of Bangladesh for long. For recovery from the damage caused by cyclone Sidr, Japan already has provided emergency relief goods equivalent to about US$ 327,100 and emergency grant aid through UN agencies equivalent to US$ 3.7 million. Japan has already started the assessment procedure for construction of additional cyclone shelters in affected area. In addition, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is planning to support for rehabilitation of rural infrastructures with Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and water supply facilities with the Department of Public Health and Engineering (DPHE) under technical cooperation projects.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the World Bank signed an agreement to work together to help developing nations manage water resources, combat drought, and measure changes in climate. Future projects are expected to take place initially in the Latin American region, notably in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, while other projects could be launched in other parts of the world, according to a joint statement released by the two agencies on Wednesday. This new partnership will allow NOAA scientists and resource managers and the World Bank to more readily assist global communities in building resilience to climate extremes, said the statement. Specifically, the assistance can help establish end-to-end early warning systems, enhance and protect local ecosystems, and realise the benefits of an integrated earth observing system, it added.